“It was a shock to my system,” says Navy reservist Oscar Troncoso, of the news that he was being called up for active duty in Afghanistan. The 46-year-old high school principal from the small border town of Anthony, Texas, speaks with Maria about the life he is leaving behind and his thoughts and feelings about his impending deployment as a broadcast journalist for the military.

As one of 30,000 additional troops ordered to Afghanistan by President Obama, Troncoso will arrive amid growing Afghan outrage over the killing of civilians by NATO forces and an overwhelming desire for peace talks rather than more warfare. See these related news stories in the sidebar.